Each morning, Ricky Molner walks down the stairs of his Blakely home to his father's real estate office. The high school junior sits down in a quiet corner and opens his laptop.

It's time for school.

Ricky is one of a growing number of students leaving traditional school settings in search of flexibility. More than 2,800 students from Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties were enrolled in cyber charter schools in the 2012-13 school year, according to the latest state data.

The total number of area cyber charter school students is larger than the student population at more than half the districts in the region, including Valley View, where Ricky would attend if he was not enrolled in Commonwealth Connections Academy.

"I feel like I'm getting more prepared for life after school," Ricky said.

Another option

Cyber charter schools, first approved by the state in 1997, are free for families. The schools provide laptops, textbooks and other necessary materials, including an Internet connection. The school district in which the student resides pays tuition to the cyberschool.

Technology has not only increased options for families, it has created competition for students, said Maurice Flurie, Ed.D., CEO of Commonwealth Connections Academy, which has an office in Dickson City. The school has more than 8,300 students statewide.

"Families are no longer bound to stay in the confines of the community they live in," he said.

The school now has an office next to Starbucks in Dickson City and has purchased the former Petco building on Business Route 6. The teaching center will be the first of its kind in Northeast Pennsylvania and feature space for face-to-face instruction and group meetings.

Renovation work should start in a month, with the goal of having the center open in September, Dr. Flurie said.

More flexibility

Ricky, 17, has been a Commonwealth Connections student for three years, after moving from Delaware Valley School District. He is the third of Richard Molner's children to attend cyberschool, and two have already graduated. Mr. Molner first enrolled his children in cyberschool after their friends said they liked the flexibility.

"That flexibility is really important to us," Mr. Molner said.

That flexibility allows students to hold part-time jobs or be able to travel more, and in Ricky's case, it allows him ample time to play his guitar.

Some opponents of cyber schools question the amount of social interaction cyber students receive. The students no longer have face-to-face interaction in classrooms, hallways or on the school bus. Ricky said he sees friends at youth group.

For school, Ricky completes lessons on his laptop. He watches simulations and "live lessons," with his teachers demonstrating concepts.

Working at a desk in his father's office helps lessen possible distractions, as long as Ricky stays off YouTube or Facebook while completing his lessons.

"It really takes self discipline to be able to do it," Ricky said. "It has its ups and downs, just like a public school."

More competition

Area superintendents often lament the financial loss caused by cyber charter schools. When students enroll in a charter school, the funding allotment the district receives from the state for those students goes to the charter school. That could be $10,000 or more per student.

To keep their students, districts are now increasing offerings, including starting their own cyber programs. The Scranton School District partnered with Scranton-based Penn Foster last year to offer a cyber school. Students who had previously attended cyber charter schools are returning to the district and will receive Scranton School District diplomas.

Nine districts within the Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit offer cyber classes through NOLA, or the Northeast Online Learning Association. The districts had previously offered classes through VLINC, or Virtually Linking Instruction and Curriculum, but the intermediate unit partnered with the Capital Area Intermediate Unit to increase flexibility and options for districts.

Districts pay $5,500 for a membership fee, and fees for individual courses vary. Total cost per student is less than what the district would pay a cyber charter school, said Kevin Williams, technology coordinator for the NEIU.

Some districts are also offering enrichment courses for students.

"It's going very well," Mr. Williams said. "I can definitely see it growing in the future."

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